Species identification and susceptibility to 17 antibiotics of coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from clinical specimens

Abstract

A total of 299 isolates of gram-positive, catalase-positive, coagulase-negative cocci were isolated from a variety of specimens collected from patients at a large university hospital, and 281 (94%) were identified as staphylococci by established methods. Using the scheme of Kloos and Schleifer, we determined the species of the coagulase-negative staphylococci. Staphylococcus epidermidis was the cause of all bacteremias and the most commonly isolated species from bone, joint, and wound infections. Staphylococcus haemolyticus was the second most common isolate from wound infections, and Staphylococcus saprophyticus was the most commonly isolated species from urinary tract infections. Antibiograms to 17 antimicrobial agents were performed by a microdilution technique, and the results revealed that S. epidermidis was resistant to a wider spectrum of antimicrobial agents than the other species of staphylococci were.

Characterization of coagulase-negative staphylococci from urinary tract specimens

“…One factor may be inoculum size, as a Steer-Foltz replicator would deliver a smaller inoculum than the streak plate method reported by Kloos and Schleifer (8), with subsequent difficulty in identifying weak positives. The other coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from urine were seldom as clearly identified as S. epidermidis or S. saprophyticus by the biotyping system, a difficulty recognized by certain other investigators (12,18) examining other clinical isolates. Some of these difficulties in identification may be eliminated by the use of the recently introduced commercial test systems for the identification of staphylococci (10), although these require further assessment in the clinical laboratory.…”

“…S. saprophyticus is characterized by novobiocin resistance, but three other coagulase-negative staphylococcal species (S. cohnii, S. xylosus, and S. sciuri) are also novobiocin resistant (8), and novobiocin-resistant S. epidermidis strains have been reported (7,25). In addition, some authors report the isolation of novobiocin-sensitive S. saprophyticus (12,15,26). The present study was undertaken to characterize the features of bacteriuria with coagulase-negative staphylococci by correlating species identification by the biotyping schema of Kloos and Schleifer (8) and the International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology Subcommittee on the taxonomy of staphylococci and micrococci (5) recommendations with antimicrobial susceptibility and clinical features.…”

Identification, clinical distribution, and susceptibility to methicillin and 18 additional antibiotics of clinical Staphylococcus isolates: nationwide investigation in Italy

“…In Italy, a multicentric study group has recently been set rial and involved in human infections, few studies of the up to perform a nationwide assessment of clinical Staphyloantimicrobial susceptibilities of these species have been coccus isolates. The present study was achieved by seven reported (10,16,19,35). Some species-to-species differences operative units working in different areas of the country.…”

Characteristics of staphylococci isolated from man, poultry and some other animals

“…Whilst it may be necessary to ascertain the pathogenic roles of coagulasenegative staphylococci isolated from different infectious processes as was done by Devriese et al. (1983b), nevertheless, the significance of these micro-organisms in human infections (abscesses) can be ascertained as described by Marsik & Brake (1982).…”